FS-2 spill was 46 barrels, mostly water

A Feb. 18 spill from Prudhoe Bay Flow Station 2 flow line 9A has been estimated at 45 barrels of produced water, 1 barrel of crude oil and 5,000 cubic feet of natural gas.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said Feb. 23 that a one-eighth-inch hole in the flow line, caused by external corrosion, was the source of the spill.

To maintain temperature on flow line 9A in preparation for repair, BP initially swept the line with gas, but DEC said that was insufficient to maintain temperature, so a single well at Drill Site 9, producing mostly water, was restarted and directed through the flow line, which remains closed off and has been fitted with a two-inch temporary line to Flow Station 2. DEC said BP calculated that the flow rate of water through the 2-inch hard line would be enough to ensure that the 24-inch flow line will stay warm until repairs to the damaged section are complete. A temporary warming shack was constructed over the area of the release so that workers could remove the protective pipe wrap, expose the hole and prepare the surface for repair.

DEC said BP is drafting repair plans for the agency’s review.

—Petroleum News